The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-01
TOLD BEFORE HE DIED.
THE REMARKABLE STORY OF AN
AWFUL CRIME.
The Confession of Convict James
Young Made at Joliet-How Mr..
Allen, of Sandwich, Was Brutality
Murflarad
Ernnl Tie Chicnno DniIn Nelrs.

/ Murdered.
From the Chicago Daily Neies.
| JOLIET, ILL, Sept. 27-James Young,
burglar and self-confessed murderer, died in
the prison hospital last night. He was serv-
ing a ten-year sentence for burglary COM
mitted in Carroll county. Young was one
I of the most remarkable men ever sent to
Joliet, and his confession Of the ALEU- muir
der at Sandwich, ILL.,, in 1880 is a literary
gem. The murder of Mr.. Allen was most
brutal affair, and for it William Thomas, a
resident Of Sandwich, was tried and SEN
! fenced to seventeen years III Joliet. Thomas
always maintained his innocence and it is
said his conviction was procured on doubt
! full evidence for the reward offered. Young
| was taken from the prison to Sycamore, ar
| raigned for the Allen murder, pleaded gull
| ty, and was sentenced for life. The CON
| fession of Young, as given below in his own
words, is certainly remarkable produc-
| ton:
THE plain truth is the most mystifyng thing
| in the world. 1t will fool the shrewdest men,
| and when they cannot find a reasonable motive
for it they imagine the most ridiculous ones. IL
has been suggested that my motive in doing
| what have was because Thomas, or some of
his friends, were known TO me, and counted on
| their help in case got the man out and was
convicted myself: Now, there is nothing more
senseieSS than this. How in the world could
they help me when they can't help Thomas
himselfy
up to the time of killing Mr. Allen | had
never even wounded anybody had very little
regard for the rights of property, but to shoot
man dead at night i'll his own house was a eli
max of villany had never counted on. A pro
fessOnal thief is not so hloodthirsty a wretch as
he is thought to be. To take life is the very
last thing he thinks of. There is door or
window left open for a clean run, and, although
he may threaten or strike a man, If ne gets a
chance to run at all he Will go through third
story window head first before he will fire IL
shot. And again. even some very brave men,
when they awake at night and lind a burglar
in the house. feel little nervous. The burglar,
if he is intelligent at all knows this feeling well
enough, and if any one should awake while he
is in the house he feels greater security
in this terror, which his presence may in
spre, and in his legs than in any intention to
Use a weapon
II am setting up no defense for the crime of
murder or burglary-t is all horrible enough.
What have said is only to show that even the
worst may not be as bad as they are painted.
1t was a miserable combination of crcum-
stances that caused the shooting that night
was not feeling well, and so went into Aliens
house with my overcoat something had
never done before 1t buttoned to the
throat. | standing with my back TO Mr..
Allen had looked at him just moment be
fore, and he was sound asleep. ! had then
turned and taken down the clothes-panJs and
vest, | think-with IA watch chain hanging from
the vest. | had a candle in one hand and had
taken the clothes in the other without making
any noise. ! would have left in a second of time
when, suddenly and before ] could turn Mr..
Allen spoke in quick words-'Ah, you are
there think is what he said. As quick as the
word he had his arm thrown around me; the
candle went out and we were in the dark. We
felt over on the bed-he on his back and me
with my back on his stomach and his arms
clasped firmly aroun me.
Nov | could hardly remember afterward
how it all occurred. AS l have sud, was not
feeling well, the room was small and close
handkerchief was tied across my mouth that
was sufocatng me and which l could not
remove.
There was no time to think I was helpless
as baby in the position was held. My part
ner did not come to help me at first when he
heard the scuffie as he should have DONE and
did not know but he had left me. There is no
time for reflection in a struggle like this He
was holding me and | was struggling to get
away. / told him several times to let go or I'd
shoot. was nearly crazy with excitem mt, and
il was simply the animal feeling of Self-preSer
walton that caused me to fire the shots.
Il was weak when got outside that in run
ming fell down two or three times. What fol
lowed after this has been told already. That
Sunday night in Chicago was i'll hopes the man
was only wounded, and if such was the case
had determined that ] was going to quit the
business. We had to go to the Times office to
get paper and when | opened it and saw the
headline, A Cory Record, and read the &c
count underneath all can say is that, although
| was in the city and perfectly safe, with
little chance of ever being discovered as if
were IN another planet, would have taken my
chances-whether it would have been five or
twenty years for the burglary-if it were only in
my power to do the thing over again. did not
care much what did after this. | thought
could he no worse than was.
I'm few months was arrested and got five
years for burglary in Wisconsin. That was in
June, 1890 In the fall of that year read of the
arrest of Thomas for the Allen murder. | think
his trial began in February. | read what could
of it from what Papers | could get and for the
first time | saw what a deadly web circumstances
and the concet of human shrewdness may
weave around an innocent man.
The trial went on. did not open my mouth,
because knew there was q common course of
reasoning which arrived at the strange conclu-
sion that the citizen of a peaceful town, where
the incentive to crime must be small, who not
outstanding, will plan the robbery and perhaps
murder OF his neighbor, or maybe friend, is less
a criminal and more Deserving of lenity than
the thief from the city, who perhaps never
heard anything but crime talked of in bis whole
life and who still may fire a shot in extremity.
| knew if | said a word and went into court
fresh from the penitentiary would most Ger
tany be hanged-and had not yet reached a
point at which was ready to sacrifice my life
for stranger Still, | was glad when read of
the light sentence Thomas had received | was
surprised, also, for read of how it was thought
he had done the killing because, being recog-
pized by Mr.. Allen, he feared identification, If
such were the case cannot see how it could be
regarded In any other light than most dlabolic
act-to kill a man i'll order to save ones self the
Inconvenience of leaving town. Thieves never
do this when they have the wide world to hide
in from the comparatively simple crime of
burglary.
in the feverish life led the short time was
out of PRISON completely forgot all about this.
Then | was sentenced to Joliet for ten years 1t
was hard and did not like it, although had
pleaded guilty and certainly deserved il. And
then thought: There is man in this big prison
doing hard work eating coarse food, deprived
of everything that makes life worth having, and
suffering for a crime of which he knows as much
the dust that is yet TO be created to I'LL these
miserable cells. thought what hell the place
must be to hun.
NO one has worked this confession out of me;
It has been voluntary. | wish TO impiicate no
one but myself. and chat ought to serve every
purpose. If you will not believe what | say
now and Thomas stays in prison, it is very
likely the truth will never be known. But if, in
the future, such "A thing should occur the
man who was with me on that night coming to
the front whether am alive dead, you will
find that what have told You is rs true as the
law of grayitation. | was never in the town of
Sandwich before that night or since | did not
know whom | had killed till read OF it, | do
not know Thomas or any of his friends But |
do know that he is perfectly innocent OF the
crime that he is in prison for. | know better
than any one in the world, because | committed
the crime myself. Very respectfully
JAMES YOUNG"